As the Thiruvananthapuram Collectorate was undergoing an inspection by police and the bomb squad on Tuesday after receiving a threat that explosives were planted in pipes in the building, there was a sudden attack by bees and around 70 people were injured after being stung by them, police said.
The incident occurred in the afternoon following a bomb threat sent by email to the Collectorate. The threat turned out to be a hoax, police said.
“First we had a bomb scare. We got an email which mentioned that some RDX, etc. had been planted in the pipes over here. We asked the police to inspect. They carried out an inspection and found nothing.
“Meanwhile, as we were evacuating people, we had an attack by bees. Several of our staff were stung. We have taken them to the hospital for necessary medical attention,” Thiruvananthapuram District Collector Anu Kumari told reporters.
She said the bee attack was unexpected amidst a possible disaster like a bomb blast. “Thankfully, people are safe,” she said.
Police said that the threat was a hoax and that they were investigating who had sent the email.
It also said that around 70 people went to the Peroorkada government hospital for treatment after being stung by bees and five were referred to the state-run medical college here as their condition was serious.
Police personnel, mediapersons, Collectorate staff and members of the general public were stung by the bees, police said.
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